Have you made half-square triangles?
If you quilt, then you’ve likely stumbled across this block a time or two in your quilt journey.
Half square triangles, or HST as they’re known in the quilt community, is where my quilt journey started.
You can read all about the Study in Half Square Triangles quilt here. That may have been my introduction to HSTs, but over the years I’ve made quiiiiiite a few quilts featuring HST. Maybe it’s because of how I started quilting or maybe it’s just because they’re so darn cute – ha! Either way, this basic block sneaks its way into a lot of my designs, which means I’ve trimmed aloooooot of HSTs – lol!
While I love the look of the HST, I don’t love the trimming up bit.
It can feel daunting staring at a stack of several hundred HST to trim up.
Finding an efficient way to plow through that stack, without incurring any bodily harm, was key!
Today’s the day I’m sharing with you the top 3 notions I can’t get through a half-square triangle trimming session without!
*This post contains affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, if you click through and make a purchase, I may receive a commission.
ROTATING MAT
If there’s one tool, I wish I hadn’t hummed and hawed about for so long before diving in and scooping her up, it would be *this roundabout cutting mat.
You can read my full review here but suffice it to say I’ve tried other models and this one is my fave by far. I’ve shown her off in lots of workshops so you can see just how amazing she spins. That’s the key with a good rotating mat and this one does it brilliantly thanks to the ball bearings 😉
I know she’s pricey, but in my opinion, well worth the investment.
ROTARY CUTTER & BLADES
My top tip here is to find a *rotary cutter that fits comfortably in your hand.
It’s deceptive how much pressure and strain your hand goes through after slicing away repetitively for an extended period of time. So, aside from taking regular breaks, make sure your tool fits nicely in your hand.
The next important tip is to replace your rotary cutter blades regularly. I tend to change mine up after each quilt project (unless, of course, it’s smaller projects, in which case I’ll get a few out of one blade). I know it can be tempting to make your blade last for a little longer, but as soon as you see your blade skipping any fibers, that’s a sure sign that your blade needs to be changed.
Working with a dull blade also means you have to press more, which is both tiring and dangerous.
I’ve been working with *these blades that I just love. They’re super SHARP and seem a little bit on the skinnier side, which means a thinner more accurate cut. You can read my full review here.
RULER
There are lots of half-square triangle rulers out there and really you don’t even need one if you prefer keeping your notions to a minimum. I used a regular ruler for years (see a tutorial for that here) before picking up this *4-in-one HST ruler, which I love. You can see it in action in this Shattered Star QAL video. This ruler combined with the rotating mat is just a genius combo!
PRESSING
I know pressing doesn’t exactly come into the equation when trimming, but for me, it’s an important pre-trimming step 😊
To get the most accurately trimmed half-square triangles, I like to first make sure I press my HST nice and flat.
This means a *good quality iron with lots of steam capability and sometimes a *tailor’s clapper if my seams are extra stubborn 😉
Check this post out for more on the difference between pressing vs. ironing.
HALF-SQUARE TRIANGLE BLOCKS
You’ll obviously need some half-square triangles to try out these nifty trimming notions on 😉 Here are some fun patterns showing the fun you can have with half-square triangles:
- Shattered Star Quilt
- Modern Aztec Quilt
- Double Windmill Quilt
- Pink Lemonade Quilt
- Etched Diamond Quilt
And that’s it!
Those are the only sewing notions I need to help me get through any half-square triangle trimming session efficiently, safely, and, dare I say, joyfully! But please remember to take breaks and stretch (here are my go-to stretches) throughout the trimming session. Your body with thank you and you’ll help keep the boredom at bay. Oh, and another tip, pop on some music or your favourite podcast to make the trimming session even more enjoyable.
I’d love to know – what’s your top HST trimming notion you can’t live without? Share in the comments below.
Happy quilting!
xo,
Shannon
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I’ve read your posts on trimming HST’s but I don’t find them too bad😉.My Current quilt had a 180.
Thank you for the recommendation for the rotary cutter and rotating mat. I bought a mat two years ago from Amazon but the smell was atrocious and it didn’t rotate!! I aired it out in the garage for a year. Haha. Yours sounds much better!! My kids are always looking for Christmas suggestions. Perfect timing. 🙏🏼🥳
I also bought some AGF fabric recently and just loved the feel. So soft. I have a stash of Kona I’ll need to use up but plan to switch to AGF. Baby steps.
I love your humour and your patterns are so well written. The first quilt I made after The Shattered Star I went -What? No pressing guide?
Tremendous patterns.
Thank you for all your hard work!
You’re just the sweetest, Roberta! Thank you! I’m so happy you like all the extras I sneak into my patterns 😉 And I’m beyond excited that you’ve taken the Pure Solids plunge! They really do feel yummynummy and take any quilty session next level!
I was really impressed by your review of the rotating mat, I dislike having too many gadgets, but was recently cutting a number of HST triangles and a rotating mat would have been useful and sped up the whole process. So I immediately checked the Amazon link and discovered mainly bad reviews. Why? (other than the dummies that didn’t read that the base is a separate purchase)
Hmmm, I’m not sure why that is, Margaret? I’ve been using mine for quite a while now and I’m still super pleased with her performance and how she’s holding up. I suspect at some point I’ll have to replace the cutting mat portion. But so far so good!
I was concerned to see the link to Amazon for that trimmer–from what I have read, there are so many fakes on Amazon, and no way to really determine which are genuine and which are fakes, with seriously compromised quality. Can you link to another source?
Oh, the rotary cutter isn’t linked to Amazon, Ellen. It’s directly linked to the company’s site 🙂